Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time I was very very very attached to cars. I always wanted a fun/nice car to drive. My tastes have changed over the years, I have gone from sporty cars to minivans to SUVs and back again but I was always focused on the car I had at the time.
Almost 8 years ago our family made a huge move from California out to North Carolina. We didn’t know a soul, had no family in the area and didn’t move here for a job. LOL. You might asked what prompted the move then? At the time I didn’t really know. You see I was born and raised in CA and never thought I would leave. Well, in 2004 the time just felt right and we made the move after careful consideration. Looking back I now know it was the Lord who brought us here (we were not believers at the time).
So… we had lived in NC for about 7 months when my husband finally gave into my wishes to get a beautiful new SUV. I purchased a nice shiny black Lincoln Navigator. It was used but you would never be able to tell. We got that vehicle in December of 2004. I was in love. I was so proud of that vehicle and so excited to finally own one. The joy of that vehicle was short lived though. You see, God had something to show me. In January of 2005, 1 1/2 months after getting my new car my husband and I became believers. We were on fire. We looked at our life and felt convicted to change things. Nothing was off the table except for my car. Everytime my husband and I talked about getting our finances in order I would never discuss getting rid of the car. Basically I was a big baby about it. I have the best husband in the world because he never pushed, he just waited for God to change my mind.
Fast forward to the second week of August, 2005. I was driving home after dropping my kids off at school (they used to attend public school). On the way home it was like “bam” I knew without a doubt that the Lord was telling me to sell my car. I know that probably sounds funny to some people but I knew it with all my heart. I cried the whole way home, begging for it to not be true. I begged, I pleaded, I cried, I threw a hissy fit, you name it I did it. After a short car ride home I came to terms that the car needed to go. You see, the Lord showed me that it was really an idol in my life. My life and happiness was controlled in so many ways by that vehicle. I walked in the front door and my husband asked what was wrong. I proceeded to tell him the whole story and of course he was in agreement. The car was dragging us down financially so it made perfect sense for it to go.
With a passion that surprised my husband I drove that vehicle around for the next few days getting quotes on someone purchasing it. I just knew it had to go and it had to go NOW. We ended up selling it that week and a few short days later hurricane Katrina hit. Gas prices skyrocketed. I never would have been able to afford to drive that thing. It only got 9 miles to the gallon and required premium gas to fill it. Yikes, what was I ever thinking?
I’d like to say the story ended there and I learned a valuable lesson but it didn’t. Over the years I came to realize that cars were still an idol for me. They took up way too much attention and I couldn’t focus on other things. After a long process with lots of lessons learned I can finally say that I lost that idol. I no longer cared about what kind of car I drove or even thought about getting a new one. I was happy with what I had, a very very old sweet Nissan Altima that has so many miles on it.
How does that bring me to the beautiful new car pictured above you ask? Well, you see, God has this way of blessing you. When I gave up completely what once consumed me I was free. I was free to then several years later receive this beautiful unexpected blessing. I really thought I would never own an SUV again and I was ok with that.
On the Saturday after thanksgiving, 2011, my husband shared that he thought it was time to get a new car for the family. He had tons of reasons, all good ones but this is so long already I won’t bore you with those details. He gave me a guideline of price he wanted to spend and let me choose what I wanted from there. Wow, what freedom. I chose this beautiful Toyota RAV4 SUV. It is by far the nicest vehicle I have ever owned. I enjoy driving it every day. But one thing I do know…… it no longer scares me to think of losing it. I enjoy it while I have it but if the time comes that it has to go, I am ok with that. I can truly say that vehicles are not an idol for me. Thank you Lord!
Have a great day guys :-)
